Gilbert Doctorow holds a Ph.D. in Russian history from Columbia University and is a fluent Russian speaker. He spent most of his professional life in corporate business with a focus on Russia. The Memoirs direct attention to two periods when his perch afforded him a rare opportunity to observe and interact with the people and institutions shaping economic, cultural and social life there, 1976-80 and 1989-2000. In the first period he was a consultant taking senior executives from some of America's best known corporations to negotiations in Moscow with Soviet end-users over turnkey manufacturing projects. In the second period he was the corporate executive planning and running ongoing operations, including as expatriate general manager on the ground.

Doctorow has authored five books of essays. He also has participated in expert forums devoted to international affairs and appeared in Russian domestic political talk shows on all national channels.